PURPOSE: To provide a method for inhibiting corrosion useful in protecting an atmospheric pipestill used in fractionating crude oil.

CONSTITUTION: A mixture of amines is fed into a condensing system comprised of wet hydrocarbons and chloride to inhibit corrosion in the condensing system by increasing the pH profile of condensed water above the range in which severe corrosion of system internals can occur. The amine blend is formulated to preclude deposition and accumulation of the hydrochloride salts of the amines above the water dewpoint and is optimized to the condensing system to minimize amine treat rate. In one embodiment, the amine blend feed rate is controlled using a small condensing system which condenses a slipstream of gas taken from the system upstream of the condensing zone and continually measures the pH profile in the condensing zone.